Honda has teamed up with Sony to be the sole sponsor for the Minisode series that are being shown exclusively on MySpace. We first covered Sony's minisode announcement here.
The minisode advertisements shown my Honda will be fittingly shortened to about six seconds, staying in line with the "mini" motif. Cute. Some of the shows that have been turned into minisodes include "The Partridge Family," "Silver Spoons," and "Charlie's Angels." As the minisode trend grows for online video clips, it's being utilized for several media outlets, from online dramas to the revival of old classics that are enjoying an abridged lifestyle online.
The success of this ad campaign will determine Honda's extended commitment to the minisodes, but the overall trend is growing in the marketing arena. The New York Times article also reports that other traditional media companies such as CW will plan to sell five-second commercials for the upcoming fall season, and Unilever will do a similar marketing campaign as Honda for its All Small and Mighty detergent, which comes in a smaller bottle. I can personally appreciate the shortened commercials tying in with shortened series, and I wouldn't mind this concept being applied on a much larger scale.
Honda is leveraging social networks for marketing with its Civic Tour as well.